JEE Advanced 2020: IITs may reduce syllabus, change engineering entrance exam format

Considering the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the academic calendar, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are planning to reduce the exam syllabus as well as change the entrance exam format for JEE Advanced.

The JEE Advanced, which is scheduled to be held in September, will be conducted by IIT-Delhi this year.

The final decision on this will be taken at the Joint Admission’s Board review meeting to be held next week, reported the Indian Express.

Commenting on the development, IIT-D Director V Ramgopal Rao said: “The proposal on the format of exam, syllabus, social distancing norms are up for discussion in the review meeting next week. The decisions will be taken after JAB’s nod and would be for the JEE Advance 2020.”

The IITs are also planning to do away with the board exam marks criterion,  given so many board exams were cancelled with the education boards opting for alternative assessment systems. Usually, aspiring engineers are expected to secure at least 75 percent marks in their board exams or must be in the top 20 percentile of the Class 12 board exams.

Meanwhile, the IITs are planning syllabus cut in view of the fact that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has also reduced their syllabus by 30 percent in view of the impact of the COVID-19 situation on education. Now, entrance examinations such as NEET and JEE are based on the CBSE Class 11 and Class 12 syllabus. So, the reduction in the syllabus will be of no help to JEE candidates if the syllabus for the entrance exams and the exam pattern are not adjusted accordingly.